A fluid dispensing apparatus for irrigating a body cavity includes a fluid container assembly, a cap member, and a tip member. The fluid container assembly defines a longitudinal axis and includes a fluid container and an inlet assembly fixedly secured to the fluid container. The cap member is selectively rotatably attached to the inlet assembly. The tip member is selectively attachable to the cap member in response to rotation of the tip member about the longitudinal axis of the fluid container assembly.
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16. A fluid dispensing system, comprising:
a fluid container assembly including a fluid container and an inlet assembly secured to the fluid container by a plurality of rib members extending into the fluid container; and
a cap assembly selectively attached to the inlet assembly, the cap assembly including at least one tip member and a straw member that are selectively rotatably attachable to the cap assembly, the straw member extending into the fluid container when secured to the cap assembly.
1. A fluid dispensing apparatus for irrigating a body cavity, the fluid dispensing apparatus comprising:
a fluid container assembly defining a longitudinal axis and including a fluid container and an inlet assembly fixedly secured to the fluid container, the inlet assembly and the fluid container having different materials than one another;
a cap member selectively rotatably attached to the inlet assembly; and
a tip member selectively attachable to the cap member in response to rotation of the tip member about the longitudinal axis of the fluid container assembly.
20. A fluid dispensing system, comprising:
a fluid container assembly including a fluid container and an inlet assembly fixedly secured to the fluid container by a silicone seal; and
a cap assembly selectively attached to the inlet assembly, the cap assembly including at least one tip member having pairs of elongated tab members extending radially outward from an annular sidewall of the at least tip member, the pairs of elongated tabs members being selectively attachable to the cap assembly by a locking device within the cap assembly that interlocks with the pairs of elongated tab members of the at least one tip member.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/226,275, filed Jul. 28, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
This disclosure relates to fluid dispensing apparatus, and more particularly, to fluid dispensing apparatus for dispensing fluid in body cavities such as rectal, vaginal, or nasal cavities, for example, to clean, rinse, and/or hydrate such cavities.
Fluid dispensing apparatus, such as douche devices, have long been used to clean body cavities. When enemas are effectuated, for instance, many fluid dispensing devices include a bulb or bag of water that is coupled to a non-replaceable dispensing tip used to irrigate the rectal cavity. Such bulbs and/or bags have small openings that are difficult to open and fill, and once the procedure is completed, the fluid dispensing device, or substantial portions thereof may be discarded or reused.
According to an aspect of this disclosure, a fluid dispensing apparatus for irrigating a body cavity includes a fluid container assembly, a cap member, and a tip member. The fluid container assembly defines a longitudinal axis and includes a fluid container and an inlet assembly fixedly secured to the fluid container. The inlet assembly and the fluid container have different materials than one another. The cap member is selectively rotatably attached to the inlet assembly. The tip member is selectively attachable to the cap member in response to rotation of the tip member about the longitudinal axis of the fluid container assembly.
In aspects, the fluid dispensing apparatus may further include a straw member that is selectively rotatably attached the cap member.
In aspects, the cap member may define a central passage that supports a one-way valve assembly that is disposed in fluid communication with the tip member and a fluid cavity of the fluid container.
In aspects, the cap member may include an actuator portion having a pair of opposed wings that extends from an external surface of the cap member for facilitating rotatable movement of the cap member relative to the fluid container. The actuator portion may include a locking device that extends radially inward from an inner surface of the cap member that defines the central passage. The locking device may be configured to secure a proximal end portion of the tip member within the cap member. The proximal end portion of the tip member may include a coupling portion. The coupling portion of the tip member may include elongated tabs that project radially outward from an outer side surface of the coupling portion. The elongated tabs may be configured to cooperate with the locking device within the actuator portion of the cap member to facilitate the selective securement of the coupling portion of the tip member within the cap member.
In aspects, the cap member may include a coupling portion that extends proximally from the actuator portion of the cap member. The coupling portion of the cap member may include elongated tabs that project radially outward from an outer side surface of the coupling portion of the cap member. The elongated tabs of the cap member may be configured to cooperate with a locking device of the inlet assembly to selectively secure the cap member to the fluid container assembly. The locking device of the inlet assembly may include detents that cooperate with detent recesses defined in the elongated tabs of the cap member to facilitate the selective securement of the coupling portion of the cap member within the inlet assembly.
In aspects, the fluid dispensing apparatus may include at least one O-ring that fluidly seals a connection between the cap member and the fluid container, the cap member and the tip member, and/or the cap member and the straw member.
In aspects, the fluid dispensing apparatus may further include a silicone seal disposed on an inner surface of the fluid container between the inlet assembly and the fluid container to facilitate securement of the inlet assembly to the fluid container.
In aspects, the inlet assembly may include a plurality of spaced-apart ribs and the fluid container may define a plurality of rib channels that receive the plurality of spaced-apart ribs of the inlet assembly to facilitate the securement of the inlet assembly to the fluid container.
In aspects, the inlet assembly may include an upper lip and a lower lip. The upper lip may be positioned to seat on an end face of the fluid container. The lower lip may be positioned to support a gasket on an outer surface of the inlet assembly.
In aspects, the fluid container may include an air valve in a bottom surface of the fluid container.
In aspects, the fluid container may include a flexible material that is actuatable upon a squeezing thereof, wherein actuation of the fluid container actuates the one-way valve assembly to enable fluid to pass from the fluid container through the tip member for dispensing the fluid from the tip member. The air valve may enable air to enter into the fluid cavity when the fluid container moves from a squeezed position to an unsqueezed position.
According to another aspect, this disclosure is directed to a fluid dispensing system including a fluid container assembly and a cap assembly. The fluid container assembly includes a fluid container and an inlet assembly secured to the fluid container by a plurality of rib members extending into the fluid container. The cap assembly is selectively attached to the inlet assembly. The cap assembly includes at least one tip member and a straw member that are selectively rotatably attachable to the cap assembly. The straw member extends into the fluid container when secured to the cap assembly.
In aspects, the at least one tip member may include a first tip member and a second tip member.
In aspects, at least one of the first or second tip members may be disposable.
In aspects, the at least one tip member may include an angled tip member.
According to still another aspect, this disclosure is directed to a fluid dispensing system includes a fluid container and a cap assembly. The fluid container assembly includes a fluid container and an inlet assembly fixedly secured to the fluid container by a silicone seal. The cap assembly is selectively attached to the inlet assembly. The cap assembly includes at least one tip member having pairs of elongated tab members extending radially outward from an annular sidewall of the at least tip member. The pairs of elongated tabs members are selectively attachable to the cap assembly by a locking device within the cap assembly that interlocks with the pairs of elongated tab members of the at least one tip member.
Other aspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims that follow.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate aspects of this disclosure and, together with a general description of this disclosure given above, and the detailed description given below, explain the principles of this disclosure, wherein:
Aspects of this disclosure are described in detail with reference to the drawings, in which like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements in each of the several views. As used herein, the term “distal” refers to that portion of structure closer to a user, while the term “proximal” refers to that portion of structure, farther from the user.
In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary detail.
With reference to
As best seen in
The straw member 16 of the cap assembly 14 includes an elongated member 16a on a proximal end portion and a connector portion 16b on a distal end portion. The elongated member 16a of the straw member 16 has a straight segment 16c that extends from a proximal end of the straw member 16 to a conical portion 16d on a distal end of the elongated member 16a. The conical portion 16d couples the elongated member 16a to the connector portion 16b. The straw member 16 defines a central longitudinal passage 16e that extends through the straw member 16 from the proximal end of the straw member 16 to the distal end of straw member 16. The connector portion 16b includes a ledge 16f that is spaced-apart from a distal end face 16g of the conical portion 16d to define a first O-ring channel 16h for supporting the O-ring 24a. The connector portion 16 further includes a first elongated tab 16i that extends radially outward from an annular sidewall 16k of the connector portion 16b on a first side of the connector portion 16b and a second elongated tab 16j that extends radially outward from the annular sidewall 16k of connector portion 16b on a second side of the connector portion 16b. The first and second elongated tabs 16i, 16j each having first and second end portions that extend to respective first and second ends. The first end portion of the first elongated tab 16i is angularly displaced from the second end portion of the first elongated tab 16i, and the first end portion of the second elongated tab 16j is angularly displaced from the second end portion of the second elongated tab 16j. The first elongated tab 16i defines a first detent recess 16m in the first end portion of the first elongated tab 16i. The second elongated tab 16j defines a second detent recess 16n in the second end portion of the second elongated tab 16j such that the first and second detent recesses 16m, 16n of the respective first and second elongated tabs 16i, 16j are disposed in mirrored relationship about a central longitudinal plane (not shown) defined through the straw member 16. The first and second detent recesses 16m, 16n are both angularly displaced from the respective first and second ends of the respective first and second elongated tabs 16i, 16j. As can be appreciated, any of the described elongated tabs may be in the form of a quick turn thread.
With reference to
The coupling portion 18a of the cap member 18 includes a first pair of elongated tabs 18f, 18g on an outer surface of an annular sidewall 18h of the coupling portion 18a. The elongated tab 18f is vertically spaced part from the elongated tab 18g by a gap 18i. The elongated tabs 18f, 18g extend radially outward from the annular sidewall 18h on a first side of the coupling portion 18a. The elongated tabs 18f, 18g are substantially similar, but the elongated tab 18g is longer than the elongated tab 18f and further includes a first detent recess 18j defined in a first end portion of the elongated tab 18g. The coupling portion 18a further includes a second pair of elongated tabs 18m, 18n disposed on an opposite side of coupling portion 18a than the first pair of elongated tabs 18f, 18g. The second pair of elongated tabs 18m, 18n are disposed in mirrored relationship to the first pair of elongated tabs 18f, 18g about a central longitudinal plane (not shown) defined through the cap member 18, and are otherwise identical to the first pair of elongated tabs 18f, 18g (see
The actuator portion 18b of the cap member 18 includes diametrically opposed actuator wings 18p that extend radially outward from the cap member 18 to facilitate rotation of the cap member 18 relative to the fluid container assembly 12, as indicated by arrows “A” (
As seen in
With reference to
Turning now to
The fluid container 12a defines an inlet opening 12k having a plurality of rib channels 12m that is positioned to align with the plurality of spaced-apart ribs 12h of the inlet 12c to facilitate securement of the inlet assembly 12b to the fluid container 12a. The fluid container 12a further defines a fluid cavity 12n configured to support fluid “F” such as water therein.
As shown in
As seen in
As seen in
With reference to
As seen in
As can be appreciated, one or more of the components of this disclosure may be disposable and/or reusable and may be formed of any suitable rigid and/or flexible material such as any suitable polymeric material.
The phrases “in an aspect,” “in aspects,” “in various aspects,” “in some aspects,” “in other aspects” or the like may each refer to one or more of the same or different aspects in accordance with the present disclosure. A phrase in the form “A or B” means “(A), (B), or (A and B).” A phrase in the form “at least one of A, B, or C” means “(A); (B); (C); (A and B); (A and C); (B and C); or (A, B, and C).”
Various aspects disclosed herein may be combined in different combinations than the combinations specifically presented in the description and accompanying drawings. It should also be understood that, depending on the example, certain acts or events of any of the processes or methods described herein may be performed in a different sequence, may be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g., all described acts or events may not be necessary to carry out the techniques).
Certain aspects of the present disclosure may include some, all, or none of the above advantages and/or one or more other advantages readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the drawings, descriptions, and claims included herein. Moreover, while specific advantages have been enumerated above, the various aspects of the present disclosure may include all, some, or none of the enumerated advantages and/or other advantages not specifically enumerated above.
The aspects disclosed herein are examples of the disclosure and may be embodied in various forms. For instance, although certain aspects herein are described as separate, each of the aspects herein may be combined with one or more of the other aspects herein. Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Like reference numerals may refer to similar or identical elements throughout the description of the figures.
Securement of any of the components of the disclosed devices may be effectuated using known securement techniques such welding, crimping, gluing, fastening, etc.
Persons skilled in the art will understand that the structures and methods specifically described herein and shown in the accompanying figures are non-limiting exemplary aspects, and that the description, disclosure, and figures should be construed merely as exemplary of aspects. It is to be understood, therefore, that this disclosure is not limited to the precise aspects described, and that various other changes and modifications may be effectuated by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. Additionally, the elements and features shown or described in connection with certain aspects may be combined with the elements and features of certain other aspects without departing from the scope of this disclosure, and that such modifications and variations are also included within the scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, the subject matter of this disclosure is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described.
Hughes, Cameron, Pezzino, James, Angel, Justin
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